A Caged Bird's Love
by Called Charon
Summary: Who does Neji truly love? When he finds himself assigned a mission with the girl who has won his heart, will his long suppressed feelings remain secret? NejiHina, please R
1. Chapter 1

A Caged Bird's Love Chapter One

_You know what is worse than love that is known but not accepted? Love that isn't even known to the other. I know this personally, because I'm experiencing it right now. I love her so much, and she has no idea. She is a little oblivious, but that's one of the things I love about her. And you know, I've loved her from the moment I saw her. I told my father that she was cute, and he looked at me sadly. I ended up pledging to protect her. I accepted this with all my heart, in fact I was happy to do so! I would have gladly given my life so that she could continue to grace this world with her existence. That love has been tested to its limits over the past several years, and at one point I managed to bury that love so deep inside of me it turned to hatred. I thought it had gone away. But I was wrong. Love, once it exists, can never truly go away. I realized this after my reasons for hatred were corrected. Because I found that affection for her still within my heart, renewed after its imprisonment in the depths of my mind. And I welcomed it. You would think, with this kind of devotion, she would have noticed something. But no. She has no clue, and that torments me night and day, because I have no way of knowing if she cares for me also. I want to find out, but at the same time I do not want to take action, for fear of ruining what we already have. That fear has held me back, but maybe someday I'll overcome it. Someday……._

Neji woke up later than usual that morning. Normally, he would have been up at the crack of dawn to train and get his mind off whatever was bothering him. But today it was he who was late, and it was Tenten who had to wait. She couldn't help but tease him about it when he finally arrived.

"Ne, Ne, what were _you_ doing last night so late that it caused you to oversleep? God, this has to be the first time you've ever been late for anything!"

He glared at her. "Give it a rest, would you?"

She laughed. "Why the hell would I do that? Geez Neji, now we finally have proof that you're human, not some sort of clock work android without feelings."

His glare intensified. Tenten grinned and turned so that she was walking back first in front of him so she could see his face.

"So, why _were_ you late today?"

He kicked a pebble on the ground. "No reason. Just overslept," he muttered.

"Hmmm. Sure you did."

"Shut up."

She sighed dejectedly. "Maa, you're so uptight. I'm just teasing you, all right? Relax; I'm not trying to kill you."

He scratched his head. She had a point. "Sorry. I'm just a little tired."

She nodded understandingly and fell back into place beside him. They walked in companionable silence the rest of the way to the training grounds. Lee was already there waiting for them.

"YOSH! LET US TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS FIERY YOUTH AND DO OUR BEST TO ENJOY OUR SPRINGTIME OF LIFE!" he yelled, eyes burning with inner passion.

"Hai, hai, Lee. You do that," Tenten said exasperatedly. _Geez, its seven o'clock in the morning and he already is fired up. What a weirdo. _

Neji went the stream nearby and splashed water on his face to wake up. The cold water revived his nerves and revigorated his mind. Tenten was right; it was extremely odd for him to be so later, even if only by fifteen minutes. He sighed. He had stayed up until all hours thinking about _her. _Her perfect voice, quiet, yet enough to capture your attention. Her beautiful face, often marred with an expression of worry. Her silky hair, like a raven's wing. He couldn't bear the thought of her hating him. He had tossed and turned for hours, her face in his mind's eye. Every five minutes he would get up and find her, his eyes watching her delicate movements as she slept. He had finally drifted off into an uneasy dose when the constant use of his eyes wore him out. He had awoken to sunlight in his eyes and a worried maid peering at him, wondering if he was feeling alright.

Neji shook his head, trying to clear the thought from his mind. _No use worrying about it now._ He splashed more water onto his face and straightened. Hopefully a good session of training would help distract him.

"Come _on, _Neji! Maa, are you going to make us wait any longer? Let's get going!" Tenten shouted. Lee was dancing around, already excited for the results the day would bring.

Neji groaned and started back. _Geez, Tenten can be annoying sometimes. She is a great help, and a good fighter, and she was really nice to help out with my training for the Chuunin Exams, but seriously. _

Neji was sparring with Lee when a messenger from the Hokage came. "Ah, Neji-san, the Hokage would like to see you as soon as possible."

Neji blocked a blow from Lee and stopped. " Hokage-sama wants…..me?"

"Hai, sir. You. Soon." With that, the messenger disappeared in a small puff of smoke.

_Why the hell does the Hokage want me? _Neji glanced at Tenten. She shrugged. Lee grinned as he saw an opening. He ran and swung a leg at Neji's face in a roundhouse kick. Surprisingly, Neji had completely dropped his guard and was unprepared for the kick. It sent him flying, although he managed to lessen the damage by blocking at the last second. But it still sent him flying. Lee, of course, was jubilant.

"AH-HAH! THIS TRULY IS THE SPRINGTIME OF LIFE! I HAVE FINALLY PROVED THAT A GENEIUS CAN BE OVERPOWERED BY HARD WORK!"

Lee was so happy that even Neji didn't want to dampen his mood by pointing out that usually Neji could have blocked that kick completely, even use it to his advantage to attack Lee. But whatever.

"Well, I guess I better see what she wants," he told Tenten.

"Mm, good idea. Ja ne, Neji."

"Yeah, see ya."

He ran full speed back to the center of Konoha. The guards at the Hokage's office waved him by as he slowed down. Tsunade looked up as he entered the room.

"Neji! Thanks for coming on such sort notice. Hope it wasn't any trouble."

"No trouble at all, Hokage-sama."

"Hmm, that's good. Anyway, I called you here because I have a mission for you."

Neji was surprised. A mission? He was a Chuunin; he had passed the test after the one where Naruto had beat him. Chuunins got missions all the time, so why was he so taken back?

"Uh, hai, I accept whatever the Hokage-sama assigns me, ma'am."

Tsunade tipped her chair back and laughed. "Ne, ne, you haven't even heard the assignment yet. And stop being so tense. It's not a death sentence, you know."

_Funny, didn't Tenten just say something like that?_

"Anyway, it's pretty dangerous, normally we'd give this the Jounins or maybe even ANBU, but we're a bit short of possible candidates right now. So it goes to you. Basically, you have to track down these five people." She slammed a folder of personal files down on her desk, "And, if possible, we want you to kill them."

Neji starred. That was way more difficult than any regular Chuunin job. He picked up the folder with a nod from Tsunade.

All of the targets had bad pasts, full of murder. Each seemed to have a unique quality of fighting style that made the group even more powerful.

"They are sort of like the Akatsuki, but less powerful. Nonetheless, they are S-rank criminals and need to be dealt with. _Soon,"_ Tsunade told him, putting emphasis on the last word.

"B-but, Hokage-sama, isn't this a little to difficult for one Chuunin to handle?"

She tipped her head back and laughed, which thoroughly startled Neji. "Oh my, I'm sorry, but that's funny. Did you really think we would send you out on a mission this dangerous by yourself? God, no. Don't worry; we've assigned someone else to this mission too."

Neji frowned. "Only one person?"

Tsunade's chair landed back on all four feet with a thump. "Oh, don't worry. Your partner is _extremely_ capable. And besides, we have faith in your skill. That's why we picked _you, _you know." She grinned at him.

Neji inwardly groaned. He wished they didn't believe in him that strongly. This was going to be difficult.

He looked at her. "So, who's my partner?"

Tsunade's grin widened. "You can come in now," she called.

A side door creaked open and a girl came out, walking with an air of quiet grace. She smiled shyly at Neji, and his heart set off on an extremely rapid pace. He felt blood rush to his cheeks as her opaque eyes met his.

"Neji-nii-san, it's a pleasure to be working with you."

Author's note

Whoa, I finally got my fist fic posted…..anyway, I hoped you liked, it's only the first chapter so nothing much happened……so read and review - what you think, what could be improved, etc etc etc. thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

A Caged Bird's Love: Chapter Two

"Neji-nii-san, it's a pleasure to be working with you." Hinata murmured, warm eyes smiling into his. Neji's heart was pounding in his chest, and he could feel his cheeks grow hot under her gaze. She was here, right in front of him….He could reach out and touch her, and she would be real……

"Neji-nii-san? Are you feeling alright?" Neji focused on the two colorless eyes in front of him. Hinata's brow was ceased with worry. Neji felt a stab of guilt for making her anxious.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry, it's nothing," he assured her, trying to smile and control his heart.

"Are you sure? You look rather flushed," She told him, concern in her voice.

"I'm all right. Really. I'm very sorry for making you worry, Hinata-sama. It's a pleasure to be able to work with you as well."

She smiled again, and Neji's heart skipped a beat. _She's so pretty when she smiles…_

Tsunade was watching them both carefully. They would do just fine together. "Well, if you are both satisfied with the partnership, I'd better give you the details," she said loudly, enjoying the fact that it brought both of the young Hyuugas out of their own little conversation. "No problems so far?"

They both shook their heads. The Hokage grinned. "Good. Now, you are going to be needing this." She slapped down another folder. "It contains all the knowledge we have on the area where this group is located. And-"

Neji cut across her. "Wait, I thought you just said that we are going to have to track them. What's the point of that when you know where they are?"

She tsked at him, waging a finger. "You _are_ going to have to track them. All we know is what country, and what part of that country they are in. So, yes, you still have to track them. We just made it easier on you."

Neji nodded. If their general whereabouts were already known, then finding them would be easy enough, with his and Hinata's eyes.

Tsunade settled back. "That's why we picked you two specifically, you know. Because no other clan in this village can find this group. With your Byaakugan eyes, however, it is possible."

Hinata, surprisingly, spoke up. "But, Tsunade-sama, if it just the Byaakugan you want, wouldn't it be easier to send older, more powerful and experienced Hyuugas?"

Neji nodded. He had been thinking the same thing. But Tsunade was shaking her head again.

"Actually, you two are currently the only Hyuugas able to do this sort of mission. Both of you are strong, and young. Everyone else is either too old, too weak, or too little. Besides, you are both extremely powerful. We don't need anyone else."

Hinata nodded. Neji glanced at her and caught the resolved expression that flitted across her face. _Well, there's no way to get out of this now, _he thought. _Hinata-sama is set on it._

Tsunade saw that she had them both convinced. She smirked. Good. Neji picked up the folder with the locations and began to flick through it, to see where they would end up. Hinata glanced at her sensei, who gazed back at her, strong as always.

"All right! Well, if you two don't need anything else, I'd get ready if I were you. You're leaving tomorrow, you know." Tsunade stood up and stretched. Neji glanced at her. "Tomorrow?"

"So soon," Hinata whispered.

"Mm, well, it _is_ an important mission. So shoo already, and go pack."

Hinata knew a dismissal when she saw one and stood up, bowed to Tsunade and left. Neji followed after a minute, glancing back at the Hokage of Konoha.

The door clicked shut and Tsunade leaned back on her chair again, grinning. That had gone better than she thought it would. Both had accepted without to many inquiries, though Neji looked a little suspicious. That boy was too sharp sometimes.

Hinata said good-bye to Neji outside of the Hokage's building. "I'm sorry, Neji-nii-san, but I have to get back to the hospital."

He nodded. "All right. See you later."

Hinata smiled and waved, and began to walk towards Konoha's infirmary, where she worked.

Neji watched her go. He could hardly believe it. He had been assigned a mission with Hinata and no one else. He would be _alone_ with her for a couple weeks or more. He secretly exulted, though he was also uneasy, for more than one reason. One, he would be _alone_ with her. Neji was pretty confident he could control his feelings, but then again, he had never had strong feelings like these before. Also, she was the future Head of the Hyuuga Clan. This was a dangerous, A-ranked mission with a high possibility of death, especially if it was two against five. Her life would be at risk. He frowned. As her appointed protector, he couldn't have that.

Neji turned on his heel and began for the Hyuuga estate.

Fifteen minutes later, he stood in front on the current head, Hiashi.

"Hiashi-sama, I have just received information that Hinata-sama and myself are to embark on a mission tomorrow.

"Mm," Hiashi murmured, not looking up for his paperwork.

"Sir, were you aware of this assignment?"

Still not looking at the young man in front of him, Hiashi spoke. "Yes, Tsunade-sama has already informed me."

Neji blinked. Had Hiashi actually given his consent to this?

"Sir, this will be an incredibly dangerous mission. Taking into account the high death risk, is it really all that safe to allow the successor to do this?"

The Head finally looked up, his misty eyes starring into Neji's. "If you are referring to whether I should restrain Hinata from going because she might loose her life, I have already agreed with Tsunade. Both of you will leave tomorrow."

"B-but sir, if Hinata-sama were to be injured-"

Hiashi cut him off. "I have confidence in my daughter, Neji. She has improved and gotten stronger. And besides," he leaned forward, "I also trust you. I know you will protect her, because that is your job. I believe in your capability to do this, Neji."

Neji inwardly sighed. Everyone was had so much faith in his skills. It was beginning to make him uneasy. Suppose he would fail?

"I trust you," Hiashi repeated.

Neji nodded and stood up from his kneeling position. Nothing he could say would change Hiashi's mind. He bowed low, and left.

On his way back to the Branch family's part of the estate, he silently cursed himself. _Don't you want to go on this mission with her? Why are you trying to detain her from going?_

He could answer that easily. _Because I can't bear the thought of her getting hurt, that's why. _

Entering his own room, he opened the folder Tsunade had given him on their destination. A map with printed on a sheet of paper, with one country highlighted. He read the label. _The Snow Country, huh? Never heard of that one before._ A bit more reading told him that the Country of Snow had no current Ninja village, so it had never been an important topic to bring up in schools and such. _If it's not a threat, why waste time teaching about it, right? _Neji smirked and closed the folder. _I guess I'm going to have to bring warm clothes. _

Neji blinked. Afternoon sun was steaming through his window and a glance at his clock showed it to be three hours later than when he had last checked it. _Did I fall asleep?_

He got and stretched, one hand rubbing his eyes. It was rare that he fall asleep during the day; in fact he preferred not to take naps. But he felt more awake now, his lost hours of sleep from last night made up. He looked at the clock again. Hinata should be leaving the hospital soon. Maybe he would go to meet her as she left. _Yeah, that's a good idea._ He grinned and walked out. If anyone needed an excuse, he could say he was going to talk to her about the mission and where they were going.

Hinata looked surprised when she left the hospital to be met by her cousin. "Neji-nii-san, what are you doing here?"

Neji straightened from his leaning position on the fence. "I was passing by and decided to stop." He didn't mention that he had long since memorized her work schedule. "Anyway, Hinata-sama, did you take a look at the information Hokage-sama gave us? About the location and all that?"

They stated to walk towards home. Hinata shook her head. "Tsunade-sama briefed me before you got there, but I didn't get a chance to look at the files."

Neji nodded. "When we get home I'll give them to you."

She smiled. "Thank you, Neji-nii-san." Neji blushed and became preoccupied with starring at his shoes.

After that, their conversation dwindled. There wasn't much else they could talk about. But this suited both Hyuugas just fine. Neji was happy just to walk beside her, like equals. Talking didn't matter to him.

When they got to the entrance of the Hyuuga estate, Hinata turned towards the Main family's house. Without thinking Neji grabbed her shoulder and veered her towards the Branch family's house in the other direction. Hinata startled at his touch.

"Neji-nii-san...D-did you want something?" she asked with a faint blush on her cheeks as she glanced at his hand, which was still on her shoulder.

Neji blinked at her. And realized what he had inadvertently done. He quickly turned his back towards her so she wouldn't see his mad blush. _I touched her……_

He glanced back over his shoulder at her. Hinata was still blushing slightly, but she was watching him quizzically.

"Sorry. But, um, did you want those files? Because their in my room."

"Oh! H-hai, thank you. I forgot."

They started towards the Branch family's complex of buildings. Hinata ventured a curious glance here or there. She had never been to this part of the estate before.

Neji lead them around the general clump of houses, to a small building tucked away in a corner. He slid the door open and took of his shoes. Hinata glanced around from the door way.

"Is this your home, Neji-nii-san? Why is it so isolated from the rest of the houses?"

He looked back at her. "Yes, this is where I live. I like it here; it's out of the way of the mainstream of the rest of the family. You can come in, you know."

Hinata was still in the doorway. She started and looked down at her feet, mumbling something about not wanting to interrupt him or cause trouble.

Neji inwardly rolled his eyes. "I invited you here, didn't I? Besides we're family, what does it matter?"

"Um, h-hai. Then please pardon the intrusion." She stepped through the door way and took off her shoes. Following Neji through the house. She looked around. It was small, but neat and sparse. Just as one would expect from Hyuuga Neji.

"Ano……how long have you been living here, Neji-nii-san?"

He didn't look at her. "Since my father died," he said quietly, and started to walk again. He opened a door at the end of the hallway and went in. Hinata followed shyly.

Neji's bedroom, like the rest of the house, was bare and lifeless, the only furnishings a bed and a desk. A packed backpack sat in the middle of the floor. _Neji-nii-san is already packed, _Hinata thought.

Neji was rummaging through one of the desk drawers. Finding what he needed, he pulled out two folders and shut the drawer with a _snap._ He beckoned to her as he opened one folder. Hinata walked around the backpack to join him. Besides the two folders from the Hokage, he had a map of the countries laid out. He pointed to the Country of Fire. "Hmm, so if we're here right now….." His finger traced a path through the surrounding countries until it reached one that had been highlighted. "That's where we're going. The Country of Snow," he told her. Hinata nodded; her eyes still on the map. Neji looked at the path they were going to follow again. "So it is going to take us………hmm……"

Hinata spoke quietly. "Five days. It'll take us five days to get there."

Neji glanced at her, surprised. How had she figured it out before him? Hinata met his gaze for a second before blushing and lowering her eyes. "Ano…..I'm all right with maps, I guess…."

Neji grinned. "Good. That's a useful talent."

Her eyes caught his again. "You think so? Tsunade-sama said maps were a waste of time."

Neji couldn't resist rolling his eyes this time. "Well, Tsunade is different. She'd rather just get lost than ask for help, even from a map. You shouldn't listen to her that much. Map-reading is one of the most important skills a ninja can have."

Hinata smiled. "Thank you, Neji-nii-san. I guess I better go pack now."

He nodded. "Hmm? Oh, yeah. Good idea. Here." He handed her the two folders. "I don't need these anymore; I've already gone over them."

"Hai." She accepted them and backed up so that she could bow. However, she had forgotten about the backpack behind her. She squeaked as she hit and began to fall backwards. Neji leaped forward to grab one of her flailing hands. He tried to haul her up, but at the same time she tugged on his hand to try to pull herself up. Neji lost his balance, tipping forward.

CRASH.

Author's note:

Me: Hehe, what will happen next, I wonder?

Sasuke: Isn't it obvious? God, you're so cliché.

Me :(Jumps out of seat) HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET IN HERE?

Sasuke: The door was unlocked. So I let myself in. Don't change the subject.

Me: What? The door was unlocked? But I'm pretty sure I locked it…….to keep people OUT, you know.

Sasuke: Oh, was it locked? Hmm, I don't remember. A locked door is about as capable of stopping me as an open one.

Me: Damn ninjas………

Sasuke: Hey. That's not nice. You're writing about ninjas at the moment, in case you've forgotten. Dumbass.

Me: Of course I haven't forgotten how could I? Your presence here is not really helping, by the way/

Sasuke: Sucks for you. You should be glad I didn't bring Naruto with me.

Me: True.

Sasuke: Maybe next chapter I'll bring Gaara….

Me: NO! PLEASE DON'T! I WANT TO KEEP MY LIFE, THANKS.

Author's Note (the actual one):

Thank you to all the people who read the first chapter!

Iris D. –thank you soooo much for reviewing!

Snickerscsilvr1000- lol thanks. Yea, thing with Sasuke is in this chapter, not the first.

So please review people! (You know you want to!) Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note

Thank you so much to the people who read, and hopefully liked, and to the people who put this story on their favorites/alert lists.

2owsum4u- thank you so much! I'm glad you like it!

mellyd- lol sure! Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it!

Saskie- thank you!

Lily Vendrem- haha (cackles evilly cough cough ahem. Anyway.) lol. Thank you!

Goshikku Seirei- thank you so much! ( I luved ur "picturesque" story! )

A Caged Bird's Love: Chapter Three

CRASH.

Neji groaned. He shouldn't have left his backpack in the middle of the floor. Was Hinata all right? He groaned again and put his head down, only to hit something that definitely was not his hard-wood floor. There seemed to be something, or someone beneath him. He slowly opened his eyes. White orbs starred back into his.

Hinata's eyes met and caught his own. She was extremely red. Neji couldn't figure out why until he realized what position they were both stuck in. If it had been anyone other than Hyuuga Neji, he would have gotten a severe nosebleed.

Their legs were tangled together and their fingers intertwined on the hand that Neji had grabbed while trying to help her. They were laying torso-to-torso with their noses a mere half-inch apart. Neji felt the blood go to his cheeks for what felt like the thousandth time that day. He knew he should get up……but….he couldn't. He didn't know why. He just seemed frozen there, locked eye-to-eye with the girl underneath him. Hinata starred back at him, now blushing furiously. But she didn't try to move either. Not that she could have if she had wanted to. Neji had her basically pinned to the ground. Her body was warm and Neji found himself loosing concentration. _I'm touching her…you should really get up……no…I don't want to……_His heart sped up as a warm sensation started in his stomach.

…………………….

………………………

……………………

"A-ano……," she whispered. Neji's mind cleared and he came to his senses. He lifted himself up.

"Um…..sorry, I shouldn't have…….." He sentence trailed off. Hinata got up and picked up the folders, which miraculously had not spilled their contents in the fall.

"I-it's not yo-your fault, Neji-nii-san," she mumbled. She bowed, and quickly departed, without looking at him once.

He heard the door close and the sound of footsteps walking quickly away. Activating his Byaakugan with a few hand seals, Neji watched as Hinata practically ran back to the Main family's complex. She wasn't crying, but she still seemed quite red. He groaned; his head in his hands. _What the hell have I done?_

The next morning, Neji woke up regular time; when the sun was just beginning to tinge the sky with rays of yellow. He walked to the kitchen and contemplated what he should make for breakfast. Maybe he should try something different for once. This was a routine for him, wondering if he should eat something different and then failing completely. Mostly because he only had one thing on his shelves. He sighed. Usually he ate out, even for breakfast. Not that there were many vendors open this early, but he always managed to find something before going to wait for Tenten.

After opening almost all the cupboards, searching for food, he found one in a corner that had a bowl of microwave ramen. He sighed. _What a great way to start the day,_ he thought sarcastically. Though he would never admit this to anyone, cup ramen was probably one of the only things he could cook without a disaster. Or fire. Neji might have been good at many things, but cooking was not one of them.

After much swearing and difficulty, he managed to get the microwave to work. Watching the ramen bubble, he silently shouted at himself. _Kuso, I'm worse than Naruto, I don't even know how to work this idiotic machine. Good thing Hinata's on this mission too. If she wasn't, I probably would've starved._

Beep. He took the cup out of the microwave, burning his fingers in the process. Swearing passionately, he ate his meal. _Ugh, disgusting. I can't imagine why Naruto likes this garbage. _It was overcooked and mushy. He glanced at the directions. **Cook at high temperature in microwave for three minutes. **Damn. He had put it in for seven, which was the time for the stovetop. Feeling like a failure, he tossed out the rest and went to get his backpack.

Hinata was waiting for him at the estate entrance. She was wearing her regulation jacket and pants, and had a small backpack slung of her back. Neji shrugged his shoulders, trying to get the backpack in a comfortable fit. He had changed his normal short-sleeved shirt for a long-sleeved one, but had kept his shorts and leg wrapping.

They both blushed when their eyes met, remembering the events of the previous evening. Neji coughed.

"Uh, so, should we get going?"

Hinata nodded. Avoiding eye contact, they walked in uncomfortable silence to the gate which led in and out of Konoha Village. To both's surprise, a see-off party seemed to have gathered. Gai and Lee were attracting odd glances from passer-by as they ran up to Neji, those weird fires burning in their eyes.

"YOSH! NEJI, I WANT YOU TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS SPRINGTIME OF LIFE AND SUCCEED TO YOUR VERY BEST ON THIS IMPORTANT MISSION THAT HAS BEEN PLACED ON YOUR SHOULDERS!" Gai roared at the top of his voice, earning him more odd glances and a murderous look from Neji. Lee, on the other hand, was very taken with his sensei's words.

"GAI-SENSEI! YOU RWORDS INSPIRE ME TO DO MY BEST! YOSH, I WILL FOLLOW YOU TILL THE END!" he cried, tears flowing down his cheeks. Gai gave his favorite student a thumbs-up and his trademark smile. Neji glowered at them both.

"Idiots," he mumbled. Tenten grinned as she walked up to him.

"Like your send-off committee, do you?" she asked, teasing him. He scowled at her.

"What the hell is this?" He asked, looking around at the small crowd off people. "It's just a mission. We've never gotten big farewell meetings like this before," he said, referring to the team's past missions.

"Yeah, well, apparently it's a very important mission. Didn't Hokage-sama mention that?" Tenten whirled a kunai knife idly on her finger. Neji glanced towards Tsunade, who was grinning at him. She probably knew what they were talking about.

"Well, she didn't put quite that much stress on it, really. Must've slipped her mind." Neji was pretty ticked off. Tenten shrugged.

"Anyway, we all came out here to wish you well and all that. So stop moping. God, I could be training right now. Besides, I wanted to give you this." She held out the kunai knife she had been playing with. Neji looked at her and lifted one eyebrow. "And you're giving this to me when I already have enough knives because…?"

She frowned. "Don't be stupid, you never know when you might need an extra. Besides, this isn't just any knife. It's my lucky kunai."

Neji was amused by this. "Your 'lucky kunai'? What's next, a lucky stuffed bear?"

She glowered at him. Boy, if looks could kill………..

"Hmph! Well, fine, you ungrateful little brat. Here I am trying to give you something that means a lot to me, and you scoff at it! I'll just give it to Hinata, then!"

This amused Neji even more. "Tenten, you don't even know Hinata-sama

that well."

At that she promptly spun on her heel and walked briskly towards where Hinata was standing, talking to Kiba. Neji grinned. Tenten was way to easily provoked…..

Hinata was very surprised when she found her friends waiting for her. Kiba had greeted her enthusiastically, dragging her over to where Kurenai and Shino were standing. Kurenai was smiling at her former student.

"I wish you luck, Hinata. Do your best," she told her. Hinata bowed, still looking confused.

"Kurenai-sensei, w-what is everyone doing here?"

Kiba jumped in, Akamaru barking happily from his perch on his master's shoulder.

"We're here to see you off of course! And that Tsunade-sama asked us all to come, but we woulda come anyway, Hinata. God, you're so lucky! An A-ranked mission! I wish I could go!" He said, Akamaru's tail wagging excitedly. Hinata smiled shyly and reached up to pet Akamaru's head. She was very fond of the dog.

Shino came out from the shadow of the tree. "Good luck, Hinata. I expect to see you soon," he said. Hinata was surprised; she hadn't expected Shino to come as well. And he had actually said more than two words in a row! That was quite a speech, for him. He stepped back and didn't say anything else. Kiba jumped in again and started giving her tips on fighting, which Hinata was actually not paying attention to. She was looking around at the people who had come.

Her team and Neji's team were here, as well as Tsunade, who was talking to the tall man with gray hair beside her. Hinata was confused. Why would Kakashi come to see them? She and Neji hardly knew him. She was a bit disappointed that Naruto wasn't there, even though she had long since given up on him. They had become friends, and she had been hoping to see him before she left.

Suddenly a hand came down on her shoulder and Hinata jumped. A glance backwards showed it to be Tenten, looking pissed off. A kunai knife was held in her hand. Hinata took a step back, shocked. Was Tenten attacking her?

As mad as she was, Tenten couldn't help but grin at the younger girl's reaction. "Maa, maa, I'm not trying to attack you, you know. Here." She held out the knife. "I want you to have this."

Hinata starred at her, puzzled. "Ano…Thank you, Tenten-san, but w-wouldn't it be better if you gave it to Neji-nii-san?"

Tenten shook her head, scoffing. "I already tried to give it to him, but he was an ass about it. Since he doesn't deserve it, I'm giving it to you. It's lucky."

Hinata nodded and accepted the knife. Tenten left after Hinata thanked her profusely. Lifting the kunai up to inspect it, Hinata found that it had a wickedly sharp point. It was scratched and dulled with age, but Tenten had obviously taken good care of it.

Neji walked up to her, glad to escape Lee and Gai. The beautiful blue beast of Konoha had wanted to give him a good bye huge, and Neji had just barely gotten away.

"Um, do you want to get going?" he asked her quietly. Hinata nodded and stored the knife away in her shuriken pouch.

Neji was starting to get seriously ticked off. All the people that had come to say good-bye were not helping his mood. Tsunade noticed this when she approached them with an evil grin.

"So Neji, did you enjoy your farewell?" she asked impishly. Neji glared at her murderously. Gaara of the Desert would have been put to shame.

But Tsunade grin just got bigger and she turned to Hinata. "Take care of yourself, Hinata. Before you go, I have a few messages that I was instructed to pass down to you. One, Naruto is extremely sorry that he can't be here, but he received a mission this morning and had to depart immediately with Jiraiya. He says he's sorry and says to 'kick some ass' to put it in quotes." Hinata blushed slighting at Naruto's language, but she was touched all the same. "Also, your father is also very regretful that he could not be here to wish you well. Some matters came up within the family and he had to attend to them. However, he says to try your best and 'do not be afraid to use _it_, if you have to.'"

Neji glanced at Hinata. What was _it?_ Something unrecognizable flickered through Hinata's eyes and she bowed to Tsunade. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

The Hokage nodded and looked back over to Neji. "Sorry Neji. No messages for you." Neji shrugged. He hadn't been expecting any.

"Well, you two can get going now, I suppose," Tsunade told them. Neji sighed with relief and began o walk with a brisk pace out the gate, followed by Hinata, who waved back at her team. Kakashi nodded to them on the way out, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Hinata looked back as the gate shut behind them. Their mission had now officially begun.

Author's Note.

Sasuke: Wow. That chapter sucked.

Me: Shut up. It's called writer's block, okay? I had to write this chapter over like three times.

Sasuke: Well, that obviously didn't help it. Nothing happens.

Me: What do you mean 'nothing happens'? God, he fell on top of her!

Sasuke: Let me simplify this for you. No one dies, there is no blood or gore or fights, and it's moving so slow that I'm more interested in watching my nails grow.

Me: One, this is not a hardcore action story. This is a romantic story. If you haven't figured that out yet please go away so that I can write in peace. Two, there will be a fight next chapter. Three, yea, I know it's moving slowly. That's how I write.

Sasuke: Well, you better sped it up or people are going to get bored.

Me: You really are an insensitive bastard, you know that?

Sasuke: I think Naruto's told me that….once or twice…….

Me. Well, he's got a point.

Sasuke: Whatever. By the way, I've been thinking. Aren't Neji and Hinata cousins?

Me: So?

Sasuke: ………….

Me: What? I think they're good together.

Sasuke: ………….

Me: WHAT? SAY SOMETHING GOD DAMMIT!

Sasuke: That's disgusting………..

Me: Why, exactly?

Sasuke: Because, dumbass, they're family. They can't be together. That's just not right.

Me: Shut up. I already have the whole plot laid out. It's a little late to be thinking that. Besides, they are cousins, not siblings. If they were siblings, then I would agree with you. That would be weird.

Sasuke: It's still disgusting.

Me: Who asked you in the first place? Besides I like this pairing and I'm the author, so there really isn't anything you can do about it. Like I said, cousins are better than siblings. So they are better together than (tries to think of a sibling pair. Light bulb pops over head.) Oh yea, they're better than, say, you and Itachi. (no offense to anyone who likes this pair, I'm just using it as an example.) Right?

Sasuke: (silence.) (I think he's in shock)

Me: Uh, you alive in there?

Sasuke: ………………….

Me:………….(it dawns on me) OMIGOD, YOU ARE THINKING SOMETHING REEEALLY PERVERTED, AREN'T YOU? EWWWWWWWWW YOU PERVERT! (hits him over the head with computer monitor. That seems to wake him up)

Sasuke: (shivering) I think I'm now permanently scarred for life……

Me: disgusting.


	4. Chapter 4

A Caged Bird's Love Chapter Four

Their mission had now officially begun.

Hinata glanced nervously at the young man walking beside her. This was her fist mission alone with Neji, and she wasn't quite sure what to say. But then again, Neji had never been one for conversation anyway. She averted her gaze back to the road and decided to relax. _Calm down, Hinata, calm down. Everything's going to be alright._

Neji risked a quick look at the kunoichi. She seemed to be tense. Was she nervous? About being on a dangerous mission, or being around him, after what happened last night? He blushed a bit at the memory. _God, say something, Neji! This is so awkward, and Hinata is uncomfortable!_

A small hand tugged at his sleeve. He came back to reality to see a smiling Hinata.

"Look, Neji-nii-san!" She pointed to some cardinals that were on a branch near-by. "Aren't they pretty?"

He smiled. "Yeah." Strange, he would never have noticed something like that. He watched the two birds leave their perch and fly away into the deeper woods. Neji sighed. He wished _he _could do that…..

Hinata was looking around with joy, taking in everything with wide eyes. She loved to be outside the village walls.

Neji watched her. "Hiashi-sama doesn't let you out much, does he?"

She shook her head. "No, Father is quite, um…….protective……" She looked down sadly. Neji mentally kicked himself for making her upset. _Idiot! Watch what you say!_

But…..He realized with a pang that Hinata was in a similar situation as him……trapped in the cage of the Hyuuga clan, fate predetermined and unmovable. At least he was allowed to go on missions, most of the time. Fearing for the successor's safety, Hiashi has restrained Hinata from leaving the village many times. _But why would he let her go on this one?_

Without thinking, he reached over and took her hand. She looked up, a faint blush tinting her cheeks. He smiled and squeezed her hand. "I'm sure everything is going to be alright."

She smiled shyly and nodded, making no move to remove her hand from his grip. Heart pounding, Neji kept walking and holding her hand. She even moved to hold his.

He couldn't help but grin when he felt her hand give his a small squeeze. _If only it could be like this forever……_

They made camp near a steam that night, Hinata tending the fire while Neji laid out their things and kept watch. Well, he was _supposed _to be keeping watch. He wasn't making much progress, because he was kept getting distracted and staring at Hinata as she made their dinner.

After catching himself at it for the tenth time, Neji decided to take walk to clear his mind. Bu that didn't help much either. His mind's eye kept picturing her, with her raven hair, delicate figure, and opal eyes………._Snap out of it, Neji! _He silentlyberated himself. _Stop thinking! _Yeah, that was good idea. Just stop thinking. Unfortunately, when you are a genius, that is quite impossible.

Neji came back to reality with a jerk and found that his feet had carried him a bit to far from their campsite. Swearing colorfully, he turned and started to run.

"TASKETE!" A scream split the air and Neji began to run faster. That was Hinata's voice!

The sound of clashing shuriken met his ears. _Damn it, you shouldn't have left her alone!_

He took a kunai out of his pouch as he rounded the corner. With a quick flick of his rest, it imbedded itself deep into one of the attacker's backs. The man fell with a _thud. _

Neji looked around wildly for Hinata. She was ten feet away from the fire, currently engaged in a vicious battle with a man twice her size.

He was surprised to see three men already on the ground, dead. _Did Hinata do this?_

Four men, including the man fighting with Hinata, were still alive, and advancing. Neji smirked and drew another knife. _Unlucky bastards._ He charged.

Hinata had activated her Byaakugan, and was going at the man with all she had. She had already hit him in several vital areas, and now only brute force was keeping him from collapsing. She had yelled for help after spotting three more men emerge from the shadows.

Hinata was glad to see Neji come running into view, though part of her _was _a bit disappointed. She had wanted to handle this by herself, to show him that she was strong. But she had a good head on her shoulders and knew that she was outnumbered.

She pulled out a kunai and rammed it into the man's heart. She hopped out of the way when he fell. A quick glance was all she needed to confirm that he was dead.

Neji sighed and began to fight. The first man he took care of by driving a knife through his skull. Unfortunately, the other two weren't as stupid. One retreated a bit while the other pulled out three shuriken.

Neji caught sight of the retreating man's hitai-ate. _A ninja? _No wait. A closer look showed the piece of metal to be split in two. _A missing-nin. _He frowned. This could get messy. He dodged the thrown shuriken with ease and flipped, bringing his foot down on the man's head. This only knocked the enemy out, however. But that was good enough for Neji. He turned to the shinobi in the shadows. The missing-nin's hands were lost in a flurry of hand seals, and Neji jumped up to avoid the ice needles that appeared out of nowhere, aiming for his heart. He activated his Byaakugan and landed on the ground solidly. The missing-nin sneered.

"You're quite good, kid, but you're also cocky. Unfortunately for you, I hate people like that." A kunai glinted in his hand. Neji frowned and drew his own knife. He mentally calculated the distance between the two of them, wondering if he could get to the man fast enough to take him by surprise. _Eh……probably. _His muscles tensed.

"I'm very sorry that my skill displeases you. But fortunately for you, fate has maneuvered both our destinies. And I can assure you, She has planned your death."

The shinobi smirked. "Fate? Well, I don't believe in fate, kid. Just what do you think you're gonna do?"

Neji smiled and, in the missing-nin's eyes, disappeared. 'W-what!" he cried. Holding his knife in front of him to guard.

Neji smirked. _How idiotic……_His speed increased and he advanced on the foreign shinobi. He was so focused that he failed to sense the other man come up behind him until-

"NEJI-NII-SAN! Behind you!" Hinata cried. Neji stopped and glanced back over his shoulder. This was a dire mistake, as the larger man swung a knife, catching Neji in the arm. He stumbled, taking a step back. His momentary pause was all the missing-nin needed, and in a second he was behind the Hyuuga, kunai held aloft, ready to plunge it into the young man's back.

Suddenly, five shuriken _whish_ed out of nowhere and hit the first man solidly. He gave a grunt and fell. The Hinata was there, between Neji and the other ninja. She gave a yell and tore her kunai across the man's chest. His face was frozen in a look of shock as he went down.

Neji stared. The young woman stood before him, panting, as the post-battle excitement flowed through her veins.

Hinata looked up, eyes bright. "Neji-nii-san, are you alright?"

He gulped. Was Hinata always this strong? "Uh…..yeah, I think so…."

"No you're not."

"What?"

She walked over to him, eyes now worried, brow furrowed. "You're hurt."

He looked down. Blood stained the cloth were the man had cut him in the arm. "Oh, don't worry about that- it's just a scratch."

She shook her head, examining the wound. "No, it's pretty deep. I'm sorry, if I had gotten there sooner-"

Neji put a finger to her lips. She looked up, surprised. So was Neji. But then again, he had been surprising himself a lot since the he heard of the mission. "No, you did great. Better than I did, actually. You saved my life, Hinata-sama. Thank you."

Her eyes widened. Neji had just complimented her! She went pink with pleasure. "O-oh, um, thank you, Neji-nii-san……."

He smiled. Hinata went back to look at his arm. "But we should really get this treated. If you'll just come over here……."

She dragged him to the dying fire and made him sit. Throwing some branches on the flame, she went to her pack and opened it. Bringing out some bandages and a sealed canteen, she knelt beside him. "This is for cleaning it, I don't want an infection to get in," she explained, blotting the wound and pouring whatever was in the canteen over his arm.

It stung, and Neji winced. She smiled at his reaction. "Herbal water," she told him, "Good for sanitizing wounds."

He nodded and relaxed as she dried his arm off. Her touch was light and delicate, and Neji almost smiled. They were sitting so close…….

When she was done cleaning his injury, Hinata placed both hands on his arm. "Bear with this," she said before she closed her eyes. Green charka flowed from her fingertips into the cut. Neji sighed and closed his eyes as coolness spread from her hands.

Ten minutes later, Hinata opened her eyes. Neji had dozed off and was breathing slowly and deeply. As much as she wanted to just sit there and watch him, Hinata steeled herself to gently shake hi shoulder. "Neji-nii-san…."

He woke with a start, reflexively grabbing her wrist and pulling her down, pulling out a kunai.

"Neji-nii-san!" she cried, trying to get up. Neji blinked.

"What? Hinata-sama! I'm so sorry!" He released his iron grip on her wrist. "Please forgive me, I forgot myself…."

She nodded shakily and went back to tending the fire. He inwardly groaned. _Stupid reflexes. _

He leaned against the tree, closing his eyes. Hinata had done a good job on his cut, it no longer bothered him. Now he was just worn out. Fighting will do that to you.

He twitched when a bowl of something warm was pushed into his hands. Without opening his eyes, he accepted the offered spoon and took a sip of whatever it was.

He eyes sprang open. He stared at the bowl's contents for a second before taking another sip. It was…….._good. _

Hinata frowned when she saw his reaction. Was it burnt? Did he not like it? "Ano….Neji-nii-san, I'm sorry, I can make something else is you like-"

Much to her surprise, Neji began to gulp the soup down at an alarming rate. "A-ano…..."she whispered, quite unsure what to do.

Neji put the bowl down and _laughed. _Neji. Laughing. Hyuuga Neji. This shocked Hinata even more. She had never heard her cousin laugh like that. Had he been hit on the head too?

He handed her back the bowl, grinning. "Thank you, Hinata-sama. That was the first good meal I've had in a long time. I don't usually have food this good."

"Eh!" She stared at him. It was just a simple recipe, made for being cooked on the move. How could it be that good?

Neji couldn't help but think how cute Hinata looked when she was flustered. _What? Wait! Stop thinking that, you bastard! Pull yourself together!_

With effort, he resumed his normal stoic expression. Rising, he looked at the sky. "Thank you, Hinata-sama. But I think you try to get some rest now. We're going to have to cover a lot of distance tomorrow. I'll keep watch." He went to sit by his stuff.

Hinata tilted her head. Neji had suddenly gone from a laughing, kind friend back to her cold, distant cousin. _Was it something I did?_

She climbed into her sleeping roll, and lay there for a while, listening to the crickets in the near-by field and the deep, even breathing of the young man sitting across form her. The rhythmic sound hypnotized her, and she shut her eyelids in peaceful slumber.

Neji sensed Hinata's breathing slow with sleep, and he relaxed a bit, though he was still on his guard. The earlier men had probably just been rogues, without specific orders. But you could never be to sure. He sat erect, ready to sense any near-by movement. The night sky was beginning to be stained with yellow, as the sun peeked through the hills. Neji sighed and leaned back, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

Author's Note

Me: YES! NEJI DIDN"T DIE! (does happy dance)

Sasuke: WTF? (head jerks up. Apparently the idiot was sleeping)

Me: In the anime! I just finished watching episode 143! NEJI DOESN'T DIE!

Sasuke: Oh. Um……that's good?

Me: That shouldn't be a question! Of course it's a good thing! God, for a while there I thought he was dead after fighting that sound guy! I was seriously ready to cry! Neji can't die! He's the best character!

Sasuke: (sweatdrops) you were crying? Over a cartoon character?

Me: I was about to. It was so sad.

Sasuke: That's …..just……pathetic…….

Me: Shut up! I'm an emotional person!

Sasuke: (smirks) A good ninja can control their feelings.

Me: Then I probably wouldn't be a good ninja.

Sasuke: Yes, that's quite obvious.

Me: Bastard.

Sasuke: Bitch

(weird sparky thingy shows up between eyes)

Me: You wanna go, you arrogant son of a bitch?

Sasuke: (smirks evilly) Try me. I'll beat you senseless.

Me: Just try. (looks around for weapon. Finds nothing)

Sasuke: Don't have a weapon? How sad. This will be easy, then! (draws knife)

Me BWAHAHA! (picks up child safety scissors.) BRING IT ON, JERK! I AM INVINCIBLE!

Sasuke: (sweatdrops)

Me: MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (runs around and collides with wall. Candy canes can do that to you. Don't ask. My mom finally got around to taking down our Christmas tree. Yay, extra candy canes.)

Sasuke: (collapses) unbelievable……….

Author's Note 2:

Chapter four done - sorry for the complete lack of romantic situations. I hope you liked!

Goshikku Seirei- thank you so much! lol weird pairings are what make life interesting!

Kakashisgurl- thank you so much for your compliments! I'm so happy that you like it!

Yosh, minna-san! Onward, towards the review button! Leave your thoughts, troubles, and anything else that happens to cross your mind!

Sasuke: Whoa, no more sugar in large quantities for you…..You're beginning to sound like Lee.

Me: Hehehe. (oh, and just a note: 'taskete' means help!)


	5. Chapter 5

A Caged Bird's Love: Chapter Five

The morning after the fight with the bandits, the two Hyuugas reached the Fire Country border. If Hinata hadn't already known that they were leaving the country, she wouldn't have noticed. The lush emerald forests spread out from both sides, going on for eternity.

"Ah, Neji-nii-san, are you sure that this is the right way?"

"Yes." Ever since last night, Neji had been strangely quiet and stiff. Not that this was unusual, but Hinata wondered why his mood had shifted from almost friendly to, well, normal. Not that she wasn't glad he was normal, but she had been enjoying the company of Friendly Neji.

If only she could hear what was going on in his mind.

_Agh, what the hell am I doing, stupid brain, having these thoughts. God, she's so cute in the morning- WAIT STOP IT YOU BASTARD! STOP HAVING THOSE THOUGHTS! For crying out loud she's your COUSIN! She would be off limits anyway! She part of the Main House, she's the heir…….I wonder what her hair smells like; I bet it would be nice…..NO NO NO NO! God dammit, she probably hates you anyway. I wouldn't blame her, not after how I treated her for all those years……Do you think she has a boyfriend? STOP IT, FOR THE LOVE OF PEACE-_

And so the two-sided argument went on, carefully confined to Neji's mind. He concentrated on walking straight ahead, hands at sides….calmly, calmly……The only clue to the battle raging inside of him was the clenched jaw, muscles tensed.

He needed a distraction. He abruptly stopped, causing Hinata to bump into his shoulder. "Ano…I'm sorry, Neji-nii-san, I didn't see you."

He waved it off. "Never mind, it's all right. Listen, we need to pick up the speed. Time to run." He pointed to the trees. She nodded and they both disappeared, only to rematerialize a second later in the branches, running through the canopy like the ninjas they were.

Neji managed to get his mind off the kunoichi beside him as he flew from limb to limb. _Thwunk, thwunk, thwunk. _His feet methodically hit the branches that passed beneath him at an alarming rate. Hinata was falling behind.

She didn't say a word, for the fear that Neji would see her as a weakling. So she tried her hardest to keep up with prodigy's steadily increasing pace, while said shinobi noticed nothing.

Neji noticed that as they continued through the forest, the ground was becoming steadily rockier as their distance from the Fire country increased. He smirked and flew on. They were going the right way.

As the morning wore on, the sky grew dark with threatening clouds. Hinata looked at them worriedly. Was in going to rain? She didn't mind, but it would slow them down.

A flicker of movement in the corner of her eye made her turn. Neji had stopped and held up a hand. "We stop here."

"Eh? W-why?" Hinata landed next to him.

He pointed a finger. Hinata looked and was surprised to see that the forest only continued for five feet from where they were standing. Rocky terrain, almost desert-like, stretched in front of them, empty, and lonely looking.

"T-this?" Hinata glanced at the young man next to her. "Is this where we are going?"

He shook his head. "No. Snow Country is on the other side of this."

"Ah."

The sky growled warningly and the dark clouds emptied their burden on the land bellow.

Silence.

Neji sighed and hopped down. "Wonderful."

Hinata couldn't resist giggling at his face. She swept her increasingly damp bangs out of her face and hopped down after him. They walked the last five feet and stopped where the rock began.

"The rain has not made this any easier," Neji said, looking up at the downpour. The rain was making the land slippery, footing would be treacherous. Hinata nodded and started to work her way over the rocks.

A half and hour later, they had made some progress; the forest was no longer visible. The rain continues to come down, and there was no sign of it letting up anytime soon.

Neji had taken the lead, hoping over the huge, ancient stones easily. Hinata was behind, having a harder time on the slippery rock.

He kept walking until a soft cry from behind him caught his attention. His spun, surprised.

Hinata had fallen off a fairly large rock, and was on the ground, her leg in an odd position underneath. She grimaced at the pain shooting up her leg..

Neji rushed over to her. "Hinata-sama! Are you alright?" He immediately regretted asking. _What a stupid question, can't you see that she's hurt!_

She nodded slowly, trying to get to her feet. Trying to put a little weight on the injured, she immediately collapsed again, pain making her eyes glisten with tears. Hinata silently forbade herself to cry, not in front of Neji. She gave him a weak smile. "I'm good, please do not worry about me."

He stared at her. How could she be okay? Neji had not missed the expression on her face as she had tried to stand up. She couldn't move. He bent down to her leg. He pulled up her pant leg, making her squeak. "W-wh-what are you d-doing, Neji-nii-san?"

He shushed with a look and turned his attention to her leg. It looked fine, but he was no medic-nin. He reached out a hand and placed his fingers around her ankle tenderly. "Tell me when it starts to hurt, okay?"

She nodded. Neji gently applied pressure to her ankle. After trying several different points, he pushed lightly against a different point on her ankle, closer to her leg. She gasped in pain and grabbed his shoulder for support. He sighed. "Found it. Is it broken or sprained?"

"Broken," she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut. He inwardly groaned. This wasn't good.

"I can heal myself, just not here. A dry area would be better," she told him, not releasing her hold on his shoulder. Neji nodded and turned around, crouching. "Get on."

"W-What?"

He sighed. "Get on. I'll carry you, since you can't walk in the condition."

Hinata inched forward and got on to his back, arms around his neck, being careful not to choke him. Neji smirked and hoisted her up, trying not to move her leg. He bent his knees and jumped into the air, racing past the rest of the landscape.

A large landmass appeared in the distance, growing bigger as Neji streaked towards it. After five minutes, the hazy shape was revealed as an enormous stone structure, left behind by the glaciers millennia before and shaped by longs years of wind and rain.

Neji circled until he found a cave-like overhang at its base. He carefully deposited Hinata on the ground, out of the way of the rain. She smiled at him gratefully, making his heart skip a beat. He turned to hide his blush.

Hinata pulled off her pack and Neji's, which he had given to her to carry. Neji light a chakra fire in an indent in the rock floor, as there was no wood in this barren territory . The eerie light flickered across the walls, creating twisted shadows in the darkening twilight.

Hinata placed both hands on her ankle, this time ignoring the pain. Green chakra flowed out through her fingers, enveloping the limb. Neji watched her face, made paler by the unnatural flame. Her raven hair stood out even more in contrast.

His head told him to look away, stop having these feelings. She was forbidden area, he could never have her anyway, it told him. _I know, _he thought, _but…I can't look away. _Her pristine beauty captured his eyes, confusing his senses. He wanted to take in her scent, feel her hair underneath his fingers……..

Almost as she could feel his gaze upon, Hinata stopped and looked up. Her eyes were caught in his, drowning her in a whirlwind of emotions, trapping her……

She tried in vain to ripe her eyes from his, finding no success. Her throat seemed stuck, her mouth would not move. She struggled to open it, whispering.

"N-neji…nii……san….." Her words trailed off, but it was enough to bring Neji back to reality. He blanked and looked down, embarrassed. What had she seen in his eyes? "Ah… sorry, Hinata-sama. Is your leg alright?"

"Hm? O-oh, yes, it's fine now. I hope it is no trouble."

He shook his head. "No."

Hinata hung her head. It was her fault they had to stop, to delay their search. She was holding him back, just like always. A lone tear made a path down her cheek. "I-I'm so s-sorry, Neji-nii-san," she whispered sadly.

Neji's head snapped up. Why was Hinata apologizing? He was shocked to see a tear glistening on her face. An impulse seized him, and he walked over to her, kneeling by her side. His hand brushed the tear tenderly from her cheek, making her look up, eyes surprised at his sudden contact. He smiled softly. "Is something wrong, Hinata?"

His use of her name without the honorifics stunned Hinata, though not in a bad way. Her name sounded so….intimate when he said it like that. She liked it. Once again, his eyes captured hers, freezing her where she sat.

Neji's hand slowly moved to gently cup her cheek, thumb stroking her face. Hinata leaned into his touch, still caught up in his gaze. Neji found his head moving closer to hers.

His face stopped half an inch from hers, so that their noses were touching. He could feel her hot breath on his lips, so enticing. He came closer, lips brushing hers in a light butterfly kiss. Her eyes widened and she gasped. The sudden noise brought him back to his senses and something inside of his head snapped. Neji threw himself backwards, nearly landing in the fire.

Hinata stared as he got up and turned, disappearing into the downpour outside. She put a hand over her lips. She could still feel his mouth on hers, and the emotions it brought to the surface. Her face burned at the mere thought. He had been so close….closer than any other boy had ever been. _My first kiss,_ she thought, staring out into the night where Neji had vanished into.

Author's Note:

Me: AGHHHHHH.

Sasuke: What's wrong now?

Me: This story. I think I'm taking their relationship to fast. What do you think?

Sasuke: Hm…….I don't know, ask the readers.

Me: Good idea. HEY EVERYBODY! READER QUESTION! Do you guys think it's going to fast? Please tell me your opinions!

Sasuke: Which means, yes, you actually have to log on to leave an answer, unless you don't want to. Whatever.

Me: So, what did you think of that chapter?

Sasuke: No good action between the two of them.

Me: No duh. This is not a smut story, as fun as those are to read. But why do you care about their _relationship_? In chapter three you said you were appalled by the lack of actual fighting action. You don't like romance remember?

Sasuke: (shifty eyes)

Me: (stares)………..

Sasuke: Um, well, I'm gonna get going- (gets out of chair-)

Me: (trips him. I thought he was a ninja?)

Sasuke: (falls. Hip pouch burst open)

Me: (wide eyes) ……..oh……..my……..god…..

Sasuke: (glares) Mention this to anyone and I will kill you.

Me: (snickers evilly) whoa, maybe you and Kakashi should get together, to, like, have a book discussion or something. (Picks up book. It's Icha Icha paradise, if you haven't already figured that out.)

Sasuke: Haha, very funny. Hey, give that back!

Me: No way. This is going to be very useful.

Sasuke: (sneers) What, as a reference?

Me: (hits him over head quite hard with chair.) Pervert. Of course not. BLACKMAIL, my friend, is what is going to be used for.

Sasuke: (groans) wonderful…….just don't tell Naruto. Or Sakura. She'll kill me.

Me: Yes I imagine she would. Hehehehe…..

Sasuke: my life is a living hell……

Me: Hey, you brought it on yourself. You are the one who came in here, if I remember correctly.

Sasuke: It's not my damn fault if you can't properly lock your door.

Me: Shut up. That sounded really perverted.

Sasuke: What? I-I didn't mean it like that!

Me: Suuuuure you didn't. Grrr there better not be a snow day tomorrow.

Sasuke: What does that have to do with this conversation?

Me: Nothing. Just randomly throwing it out there.

Sasuke:Right.

Juliagulia1017- thank you for reviewing! Lol nejihina is my favorite pairing XD

Mellyd- lol yup! She's such the multitasker!

Picup- I'm glad you liked hinata saving neji! It was to show that she was strong too. Lol boys are so hopeless sometimes

Kakashisgurl- thank you so so so much! (your review really made my day!) I'm glad ur friends like it to! I updated!

Shawna/snickerscsilvr2000/whatever you want to be called-………………… I have nothing to say. Absolutely nothing. No more soda in the afternoon for you. And btw: THIS IS A TEEN STORY! In case u've forgotten what that means, look it up! (sighs) u've been spending way to much time reading that ron story...but thanks for the review….I think….

White Alchemist Taya- thank you! I like ur suggestion- I'm gonna put it in one of the later chapters!

Flying jade- I'm glad you like it! Thank you!

Miz- thank you so much!

Kichou- thank you! I hope you liked this chapter!

Saskie- ahah..thanks.

Uwaaah! I got so many nice reviews! Thank you, everybody! And also, thank you to everyone who has been reading, this story has gotten over one thousand hits!

So please read and review, I hoep everyone liked this chapter! (yes, I know…I say the same thing every chapter….o well. -)


	6. Chapter 6

Wow, so many reviews (bows low to reviewers.) thank you so much, everyone! (If your name is in **bold**, that means your review was anonymous).

Kichou- I'm glad you liked it- lol it was fun to write. Thank you!

Kakashisgurl- hehe sorry about the wait. Thanks for your opinion! Their relationship is going to take a bit more time to develop, so I hope this chapter isn't disappointing!

Juliagulia1017- (snickers) ok lol I'll make sure Sasuke sees ur review ;-p. yup its gonna be a bit awkward between them in this and the next (but mostly the next) chapter! I hope you like it!

CommandoDude- (grins) I'm glad you thought it was funny! The secret life of uchiha sasuke is veeery mysterious! Hehehehe. Thank you for your opinion!

Mellyd- thank you so much! lol yea that's true – hyuugas can be pretty dense sometime XD (but we love that about them!) hehe poor neji!

Saskie- e-eh? Really? Thank you so much for pointing that out- I'll definitely try to keep the author's notes shorter in the future! Hehe I'm sorry about any OOCness in Neji, I try to keep him in character, but in some situations it's hard. Sorry! Thank you so much for telling me!

Danyu- thank you so much! I'm so glad that you like it! Thanks for your opinion!

**Nobody**- thank you so much! Why would I hit you? Thank you for telling me I need more detail- I'll watch out for that! Thank you again!

Picup –hmmm, bringing in Itachi, there's an idea…(evil laugh). thank you so much!

AnimeSiren- thank you, I'm glad you like it!

EbonyS2 – Lol, thank you so much for your opinion! I'm so glad you like it!

Putredinis_- _LOL, I'm really sorry for the wait on the update! Thank you so much for your suggestion- it helped a lot!

Thanks to everyone who answered my question last chapter- I really appreciate it! Now, on to the story!

_A Caged Bird's Love: Chapter 6_

Hinata sat still, staring out into the darkness where Neji had disappeared. She brushed a finger over her lips. _My first kiss……_

She drew her knees to her chest, circling them with her arms. What had just happened? Why had Neji…..done that? She blushed lightly, still remembering the feel, however light, of his lips on hers. Her blush deepened. What did it mean? Did he….have _feelings _for her? She buried her face in her hands at the thought.

Hinata had long gotten over her childhood infatuation with Naruto. It wasn't anything he had said or done. She had one day discovered that she was comfortable around him, and no longer felt that way about him. A relationship would have been hopeless anyway. He had never thought of her that way.

But recently, Hinata's blushes and stutters were being saved for one person. A person, that, if you had asked her about two years ago, she would've laughed and denied having feelings for him. And that person was Neji.

Hinata had never imagined herself falling in love with her cousin. But she began to find herself wanting to spend more time with him, talking when they met on the compound, or silently spying on him as he trained. She would make him lunch, or bring him tea afterwards, and sometimes he would reward her with a rare smile that she came to treasure. He never smiled like that for anyone else.

Hinata gasped. That was right – she had never seen him smile except for her. And that look in his eye that he got when he stared at her, when he thought that she wasn't watching……Did he feel the same way about her as she felt about him? She gazed at the chakra fire, opaque eyes reflecting the misty blue glow.

_Knowing Neji, he'll never come out and say anything. But I don't want to say anything either! _Hinata sighed. _Maybe it was just a mistake……_

She leaned her head back on the rock wall behind her. Rain continued to pour down outside as her eyelids began to droop, sleep claiming her for itself.

--------------------------------

Neji came back to the cave after wandering around for nearly two hours. He was thoroughly soaked and cold. He was surprised to find Hinata curled in a ball, sleeping on the bare ground.

He sighed. If she stayed like that, she would catch a cold. Neji walked over and knelt to pull her sleeping roll out of her small pack. He spread it near the fire, so she wouldn't get cold. Now came the hard part. Getting Hinata in it. (A/N In the following, the italics and '…..' represent the different sides of Neji's mind.)

_You know, you could just wake her up._

'NO! That would disturb her!'

_Yeah, for about a minute. Then she would go right back to sleep._

"No, she wouldn't. She would probably stay up until I go to sleep. Anyway, I don't want to know.'

_Know what?_

'If she hates me. If she's disgusted by me.'

_You're going to have to face her tomorrow anyway._

'Yes, but that's tomorrow. I'll worry about that when I have to.'

_Procrastinator._

'You wish.'

Neji sighed and shook his head to clear the thoughts. _Yeah……tomorrow……_He inwardly groaned.

He shouldn't have done that. He shouldn't have let his goddamn hormones take over. She would probably be too embarrassed to even look at him now. _And just when I thought we had gotten over the whole me-falling-on-her-by-accident issue. Damn._

_Well, on a brighter note, she didn't push you away, when you kissed her._

Neji mused over that. _True, but that could have nothing to do with it. Maybe she was in shock. _He sighed again. He never knew that tomorrow could look so scary. _I'm not afraid to face five S-rank missing-nin, but I'm petrified over what one girl thinks of me. My priorities are so messed up._

He knelt and put his arms under Hinata's legs and behind her back. Thankfully, she didn't stir as he lifted her up, bridal-style. Neji was amazed. He thought his pounding heart would be loud enough to waken any shinobi in a fifty-mile radius.

Hinata shifted a little in his arms as he began to walk to her sleeping roll. She turned her face towards him, burying into his chest. One of her hands moved to grab his shirt. Neji blushed lightly but couldn't resist a small smile. _She's so pretty when she's sleeping…_

He lowered her to the ground, taking care not to jolt her. As he went to get up, her hand on his shirt tightened and he found himself unable to move. Neji swallowed nervously. _Oh god……_

Hinata sighed in her sleep and didn't relinquish her hold on his shirt. Neji got to his knees. _How the hell am I supposed to get out of this one?_

"Neji…."

He looked up, startled. Hinata had shifted closer, and was mumbling softly.

"Neji…….don't leave me……" Her arm moved, jerking his head down towards hers. Her warm breath ghosted over his cheek and Neji's eyes widened, his heart pumping faster than ever. _Oh god, what am I supposed to do? _

He cautiously tried to tug her hand away, but Tsunade had trained the Hyuuga heiress well. Her super-strength was making it impossible for Neji to separate hand from cloth.

_Damn…_He inwardly groaned, racking his brain for possible escape plans. Nothing stood out. He was either going to have to wake her up or spend the night next to her. While he was much more willing to do the latter, it seemed dishonorable, almost. Infringing someone's private space was not Neji's favorite thing to do. But compared to seeing her sickened, frightened face, he was willing to take the chance.

_It's not like she's going to notice anyway, since you are going to wake up before her…_Neji tried to reassure himself. _Might as well make the best of this. _He smiled bitterly. This was probably the last time she was going to allow him to touch her, even unconsciously, not after what he did that night.

He moved to lie down, parallel to Hinata, wrapping his arms around her waist. She unconsciously snuggled closer, once again burying her face in his chest. Neji put his chin on top of her head and closed his eyes. Their bodies fit perfectly together, and Neji found sleep coming faster than he thought………

-------------

_Warmth……_Hinata burrowed nearer to the source of heat. _It smells nice……_She inhaled deeply. The scent of the forest reached her nose, of rain and fertile soil and nature.

_I must be outside…with Kiba and Shino, we must be on a mission, and they haven't gotten up yet. _She smiled, her face pressed into the cloth of her sleeping roll.

Arms tightened around her waist and Hinata creaked open an eye. _An arm…wait, sleeping rolls don't have arms! _Both eyes sprung open, blinking sleep away. Hinata found herself face to face with Neji's chest.

Her cheeks immediately colored. _W-what is Neji doing in my bed? _She glanced up into his face, and was surprised to find her cousin still asleep. _That's odd; usually he's up before me._

She was lying flush against him, with his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Their legs were tangled together, and her arms were caught between the two of them. Hinata gulped. _W-what a c-co-compromising situation……_

Her blush deepened. As embarrassing as it was, she had to admit it was quite comfortable, lying clutched tight to his chest. She had never been held like that before….

Neji's deep, even breathing tickled her nose and she looked up. _That's right, I've never really seen Neji sleeping before…_She nearly gasped as her eyes registered the young man's face.

Neji's face, using lined with worry or anger, was smooth, jaw muscles relaxed and eyes closed, rimmed by long eyelashes. He looked so much younger, so much more at peace. Hinata had never seen his like this. The Hyuuga prodigy looked almost…..vulnerable. He had never looked more handsome.

Hinata shyly pried an arm from between the two of them and reached up slowly, gently caressing his cheek with her fingers. He unconsciously turned into her touch, nuzzling her palm. Hinata smiled softly.

She quickly withdrew her hand as Neji began to stir, eyes cracking open, bleary with sleep. He blinked, still not entirely aware of his surroundings.

_Mnnn……is it morning already? _He shifted slightly, opaque pupils dilating as sunlight streamed in. _Rain must've stopped. How long have I slept? _

He yawned widely and a stifled giggle came from somewhere close-by. _Extremely _close by. _Oh god……_He glanced down.

And locked eyes once again with identical pale irises. His mind temporarily went blank as his heart started to pound. _Oh……my……god……_

Hinata smiled uncertainly. "A-ano….O-ohayo, Ne-neji-nii-san." She couldn't help the small giggle that had erupted from her lips at the sight of Neji yawning. It was not every day a person got to see that.

Neji felt himself blushing at their position. God, they were locked body to body! He tried to fight down the color that was threatening to overwhelm his pale features. _Just how deeply was I sleeping?_

He willed his hands to unclasp around Hinata's waist, and to his great surprise, they complied. Hinata untangled her legs from his and sat up. "A-ano…." She whispered, looking up into his eyes. But Neji had already turned away.

"I'm very sorry, Hinata-sama. I forgot myself. It won't happen again." He strode to the cave's entrance. _I'm such a coward, I'm running away…A shinobi is supposed to be able to take anything, even emotional beatings, yet I'm running away…_

_**I'm weak**._

Author's Note:

I'm really really really sorry for the wait on the update, guys. I have nothing to blame it on except my own laziness. Please forgive me. I also apologize for this A) short chapter and B) this probably extremely boring chapter. And lastly, I'm sorry if any of the characters (mainly Neji) seem OOC. I do try to keep them in character, but sometimes it's hard. Gomen nasai.

Kakashi: You like apologizing, don't you?

Me: HOLY FRICK WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!

Kakashi: Um, I've been here for, like, five minutes.

Me: (hyperventilating) you…surprised…..me…..baka.

Kakashi: Hey, hey, don't blame me that you can't sense what's going on around you.

Me: hmph. Why are you here?

Kakashi: (sighs melodramatically) Well, you see, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke have gone and left! For California! Without me!

Me: That sucks. I was wondering why Sasuke just up and left last week. But why are you _here?_

Kakashi: Because I'm bored. And I have no where else to go. And since I lent all my Icha Icha to Sasuke, I have nothing to amuse me.

Me: (Chucks stack of CDs storing anime at him) If you're looking for that kind of amusement, you disgusting deprived pervert, go away. NOW.

Kakashi: Haha, very funny. But no, right now I'm just plain bored. And I don't feel like going home to listen to Gai ramble on about how he will defeat me.

Me: Yea, I see your point. Anyway, everyone, please review, and tell me what you think! Thank you!


	7. Chapter 7

Ah! I haven't updated in forever! I'm so sorry, guys! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! You guys rock my world! (If your name is italicized below, your review was anonymous.)

**Muchas gracias to _Lina_, AnimeSiren, ebonyS2, Kichou, Picup, White Alchemist Taya, Goshikku Seirei, hinan0, felicis-sama, Rosygirls92, -16-BrokenWings-16-, miz, kakashisgurl, Nerva al'Thor, Dark-VampireAngel, and Endy's Girl!**

I thought this chapter was going to be about how awkward it was between the two of them…but…..grrr….the story kind of took a mind of its own. Gah! Sigh. Oh well.

Random Note of the Day: Erm, I don't think I mentioned this before, but Hinata's supposed to sixteen and Neji's seventeen.

A Caged Bird's Love: Chapter 7

_**I'm weak**._

Hinata was scared. She could practically feel Neji become colder and distant. Like he was before their first Chuunin exams. Like when he hated her.

_I-I can't go through that again……I can't do that……Not again……ev-everyone hated me, a-and said I was weak……Even Neji…But because of him…..I got stronger…….And I pushed myself…….to measure up to him. And I was happy……when he became my friend. No……No……_

"NO!" The word spurt forth from her lips, unintentionally. She froze. _Oh no……_

Neji stopped walking away, but he did not turn back. Hinata gulped, but gathered her courage and stood up. _In for a penny, in for a dime, I suppose, as Mother always said._

She quickly walked over to him, knowing if that she did not do something now; their relationship would be lost forever. She placed a hand on her shoulder. He stiffened beneath her touch.

"T-there is nothing for y-you to apologize for, Neji-nii-san," she whispered, trying to keep her stutters at bay. "Th-thank you for p-pu-putting me into my sleeping roll last night."

Neji listened to her words, hoping with all his heart that they were true. But you can never trust words……..He turned swiftly to face her, making Hinata squeak. Grabbing her shoulders firmly, he searched her eyes with his own. She stared back at him, blush rising on her face.

Her eyes were sincere. Neji mentally sighed with relief. So she didn't hate him.

He noticed his hands on her shoulders. _Oh. _Releasing her, Neji gave her an apologetic look. Well, as close to apologetic as Hyuuga Neji can get. _She doesn't hate me. She isn't disgusted by me. _

_But what if she's just trying to make you feel better? What if she's not telling the truth?_

The thought almost made him smirk. No, his eyes did not lie. Besides, Hinata had always been horrible at hiding what she felt. The girl wore her heart on her sleeve.

Hinata watched as her cousin's eyes softened. Inwardly, she breathed a sigh of relief. At least for the moment, their relationship was salvaged. Right now, she didn't need anything else. The direction they had seemed to be moving in made her uneasy. She would rather be friends with Neji for a lifetime than tell him that she loved him. There were too many risks, and she didn't want to ruin what they had. But then again, Hinata wasn't the type of girl to take chances.

Encased within her thoughts, Hinata's hand rose involuntarily to her mouth, an old habit that she had worked hard to overcome, though it sometimes still showed itself if she wasn't watching. But even if she wasn't watching, Neji always was.

He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her actions. Hadn't she gotten over that annoying tendency? Not that he particularly minded, actually he thought it was quite cute, but as he once told her, years ago, the movement was in self-defense. It was meant to shield one from any supposed attacker, mental or physical. An act of self-reassurance. Which meant she was worrying about something.

_Is she doubting something? Questioning something? Is she having second thoughts? Maybe she doesn't want to be on this mission anymore, not while I'm here. What if…_

Neji tried to calm his panicked thoughts. It seemed somewhat ironic that on the inside he was raging, yet on the outside he presented a stoic face, betraying no emotion. _You have to reassure her! _

Now, Neji had never been a people person. He just wasn't compatible with many. He had never been one to talk, or offer a kind word to make someone feel better. He just left them to their own devices. They would get over it. Eventually. But no one had ever really touched him like Hinata. No one else had cared, when he was in the darkness. No one else had seen, seen how he had been suffering. But she had known. She had seen.

"_Because I can see…that you are suffering more than me. You are the one who is confused and suffering inside the fate of the head and branch families."_

That's what she had told him, during that fight. She had not worried about herself, even though she was obviously hurt. She was worried about him. And he had attempted to kill her, for that concern. After that, he promised himself that he would see his death, if it could clear the lines furrowed in her brow. And he was not about to go back on his promise.

But no words came to him, when he opened his mouth to speak. There were no words for something like this. So he simply reached out, grasped her hand, and pulled it away from her face.

Hinata gave him a weak smile in response to his scolding look. "A-ah, Neji-nii-san, I'm sorry. I didn't realize was I was doing."

He simply nodded and turned, going back to their shelter. Hinata let go of a small giggle she had been letting back, as soon as she thought he was out of earshot. Neji, in his own way, had just tried to make her feel better. _That seems…so …like _him.

Neji lifted an amused eyebrow when he heard her quiet laughter behind him. Maybe there was hope yet.

------------------

Hinata made quick work of their camp, swiftly packing and erasing any physical evidence that living beings had ever been there. Neji scanned the surrounding area, thinking of their next move.

"Neji-nii-san, I'm ready to leave." She hoisted her pack onto her shoulders. Neji nodded and hopped down from his vantage point on a tall boulder. He also picked up his pack and turned to face her.

"There is a mountain range northeast of here. It marks the dividing line between this country and that of the Snow. If we're quick, we should be able to make it there in a day. Are you up to it?"

Hinata activated her Byaakugan and gazed in the direction Neji was pointing. Indeed, the faint outline of mountains stood out, far in the distance. The surrounding land looked identical to the terrain they were standing on: rocky and bare. She nodded. Running would be easy enough, seeing as the rain showers of the day before had cleared.

Neji gathered chakra in the balls of his feet and pushed off, hurtling in to the air; Hinata following not far behind. The landscape shifted underneath him, bringing some things into focus while others faded into the vast expanse of never-ending stone.

Hinata vaulted over a pile of rocks that hadn't moved since the great glaciers shaped the earth millennia earlier. Byaakugan still activated, she alternatively scanned the land for any signs of life and watched her footing. She had no desire to repeat the accident of the previous day. Tucking a flyaway piece of hair back out of her face, she adjusted her backpack strap on her shoulder and made sure her weapons pouch was accessible. She didn't sense anyone nearby, but she had learned that it never hurt to be sure.

---------------------------

Neji landed gracefully on the ground and straightened, tossing his long locks of ebony tresses over his shoulder. After running hard for three hours, he had not so much as broken a sweat, though the mountains had gotten considerably closer.

Hinata landed next to him, panting a bit. She had kept up with him the entire time, though her stamina was obviously taking a bit of a beating.

Gasping, the Hyuuga girl dropped to one knee, laboring to control her breathing. She didn't want to show weakness. Fumbling hands grasped her water bottle, pouring a few drops into her parched mouth. The water contained a special mixture of herbs that Hinata herself had made, specially mixed to return strength to the drinker. She quickly stood up, stowing the canteen back in her bag and facing her cousin. He gave her a questioning look.

"I'm fine," she reassured him. Neji nodded and stopped, standing still.

"What's that sound?"

Hinata bent her head, cupping one hand behind her ear. Silence surrounded them ….until…..the sound of running water met her senses.

"Water? A river, maybe?"

Neji nodded slowly. "That's what it sounds like, however…….wouldn't there be more plant life if there was a nearby water source?"

Hinata shook her head. "I don't think so. The soil here is basically sand and there are too many rocks for life to grow. See?" She knelt to scoop a handful of earth. Sand and rock ran through her fingers as she stood up again. Neji gazed at the sifting granules before blinking. "Yes, I see your point. Then perhaps….."

He forced chakra into the coils surrounding his eyes, activating his Bloodline. Large boulders became translucent and his stare cut through them, traveling until it fell on a moving source of energy.

"It's a river," he stated, confirming Hinata's guess. She brushed her hand off on her pants.

"Should we go check it out, then?"

Neji crouched and leapt, not bothering to answer. Hinata gulped and took off after him. After dodging a few ancient hill-like formations, they came upon the object of interest.

The river snaked almost lazily around the mounds, a sunken riverbed providing the water a channel to pass. The water made the banks shine bright and wet, making for dangerous footing. Neji alighted near the edge, throwing an arm out to stop Hinata from slipping as she stopped next to him. She leaned over a bit, taking the surroundings.

"Do you think that this river might lead to the mountains?" She balanced as Neji withdrew his arm. He scrutinized the land.

"Yes, it does seem to. It might be quicker to follow this than to make our own way."

Hinata cautiously inched closer, carefully watching her footing, lowering herself down the riverside. Neji arched one brow, watching her.

"Might I ask what you are doing, Hinata-sama?"

She squeaked and blushed scarlet, fingers twining together. "E-eh, n-no-nothing, I w-was just…tr-trying to…..n-nevermind…" Her blush deepened and she began to work her way back up. Neji restrained a grin before reaching a hand out to help her. Grasping her elbow, he hoisted her up beside him.

Hinata gave him a grateful smile before stepping back, right onto an unbalanced stone. Her foot slipped and she gasped as she found herself falling backwards, right into the waiting water.

Neji immediately stepped forward, grabbing her arm and wrenching her up with perhaps more force than intended, wrapping his arms around her instinctively. The momentum pushed her into his chest, making them both teeter precariously.

Hinata couldn't be more embarrassed. She was a chuunin, for Kami's sake! Yet here she was, slipping over everything, stumbling about like Naruto when he attended the academy! What did Neji think of her!

She started when deep laughter vibrated throughout Neji's chest, lingering in the air. Was Neji _laughing _at her? She glanced up at his face.

Hinata had never seen Neji laugh before, nor had most people. But his laughter was like his voice, she found; deep and soothing. It calmed her enough that the corners of her own mouth twitched upward.

"You do seem to rather have a proclivity for falling, Hinata-sama," Neji chuckled, meeting her eyes. His gaze was warm and reassuring. Hinata smiled shyly.

"Y-yes, it seems that way, d-doesn't it?"

He smiled and released her from his grasp; Hinata found herself missing the warmth of his body. This time he stepped back to let her walk by him onto solid ground and she did so gladly.

"We have to head upstream to order to reach the mountains," Neji gestured with one hand. "Downstream leads us to the sea."

"All rivers go somewhere," Hinata said quietly. Neji seemed to reverted back into mission mode, no longer laughing or smiling, though his voice didn't sound as hard.

"Yes, and all rivers have to start somewhere, as well. This will take us to the border in a day, provided nothing stops us. Ready?"

Hinata nodded and fell in behind the Hyuuga prodigy, keeping her eyes on his back. She gulped nervously.

They were nearing the target.

----------------------------

Ah, spring is here. Yet it snowed last week. In April. There's something wrong with that. Anyway, please review! Arigato-gozaimasu! Happy Passover and Happy Easter, everyone!


	8. Chapter 8

…….hi everyone…….um……the apology is at the bottom of this chapter…..yea…..

I want to thank all the fantastic, kick-ass, incredible reviewers who encouraged me to pick this story back up. You guys are amazing. This chapter in dedicated to all of you.

EbonyS2, AnimeSiren, CommandoDude, selle18, Kuu-sama, Nerva al' Thor, Death's-Captive, kakashisgurl, Misoporkramen, LanaPapaya, loujane14, DemonChild6, Snowjay-chan, DPL, Lady Dusk –Raku- , SaSuKe'sGaL, Kichou, NehiHina Fan, Pinkpen, j rose, and –x- Taylor –x-.

And so, we continue our saga, for I have updated, to quote the awesome reviewer DPL, "for great justice."

A Caged Bird's Love – Chapter Eight

After running for nearly three hours straight, Hinata untied her hitai-ate from its place around her neck and refastened it around her forehead. A wind had picked up and was blowing her hair everywhere, making sight difficult.

Making sure the knot was secure, she directed her concentration on Neji's back as he lead the way, picking out footholds in the unsteady environment.

They were following the river until it reached the mountains, Neji had told her, until they were in the Snow Country. From there on in, they would have to be on constant guard, watching for their targets.

Hinata's hands shook slightly as she thought of the challenge they were about to face. She had been on plenty of missions over the years, but never one quite as dangerous as this. _Five elite missing-nin, with unknown abilities……_She shuddered.

Neji had his Byaakugan activated, scanning the land ahead but also keeping part of his attention on the kunoichi behind him. So far, Hinata been keeping up with him, and showed no signs of tiring. He had slowed up his pace a bit in comparison to this morning, but they were still going at a respectable tempo, though perhaps not as quick as he would have gone if he had been with Lee, or Tenten.

The mountains that stood in the way of their goal were definitely much closer than they had been, the day was drawing to an end and Neji had expected to reach them within the day. Maybe if they went a bit faster……but he didn't want to stress Hinata.

"Ano…..Neji-nii-san? D-didn't you say we were supposed to get to the mountain range today? Should w-we speed up?" Her soft voice filtered through the silence, as though reading his mind.

Neji glanced over his shoulder and inwardly smiled at the sight of her hitai-ate tied around her forehead. The woman in back was nothing like the Hyuuga Hinata of the past. This was a warrior. And he had forgotten that.

_Idiot, she's not going to break. You're handling an extremely capable kunoichi like a freaking china doll. The rank of chuunin isn't just for show, she can more than handle a faster pace…You've underestimated her._ _Again. This really seems to be a reoccurring theme in your life right now, doesn't it?_

His cheeks flushed slightly with shame, unnoticed by Hinata, thankfully. "Yes, that would be a good idea. Forgive me."

_Forgive him for what? _Hinata rubbed the back of her neck, one hand going to her hair tie, where it loosely held her raven locks in place. With one quick tug her hair was released, before quickly captured once more in a tighter horse tail at the base of her neck. _Have I said something wrong?_

Ahead of the kunoichi, Neji was picking up the pace, settling into a rhythm he was more comfortable in. If they both kept at this rate, they would most certainly make it to the base of the mountains by nightfall. There they could make camp and wait out the night, take stock of materials and attempt to formulate a plan. Entering enemy territory was always a tricky operation. Strategies could fall apart in an instant, especially in the case of an ambush.

The remaining light of day passed in silence, Neji letting his body lapse into autopilot, the cogs of his mind working furiously, devising and rejecting multiple stratagems, scenarios playing out before him. Hinata kept her distance from him unchanged, staying three steps away at all times, even as her breath began to come harder. She struggled to keep her rasping pants quiet, relived when Neji appeared to not have noticed.

The mountains were now visible to the unattended eye, and details were thrown into sharp relief as they traveled closer with a determined celerity. Hinata concentrated her Byaakugan on scanning the mountain base for possible areas of refuge. Unfortunately, the stone and gravel was giving way to gritty soil as they traveled closer, so they could not use that method of cover. A few tough, scraggily trees had dared grow in this tundra, claiming irregular plots of land along the mountain side and surrounding. That would have to do; there really was no helping it.

When the female Hyuuga speed up to come even with Neji, he caught the change of pace and looked around, coming out of whatever state he had previously lost himself in. "Something wrong, Hinata-sama?"

Hinata pushed an extra surge of strength into her last jump, now running side-by-side with the young man next to her. She nodded, deactivating her Byaakugan. "There isn't much cover up ahead, just some trees. The rocky terrain stops about 500 meters from here. Should we continue and make camp closer to mountain?"

As she spoke, Neji slowly surveyed the land around them. Hinata was right. There wasn't much shelter near the approaching mountain range. But he did want to reach them by nightfall, seeing as any extra time saved on traveling could help. As far as he knew, no one lived any where within range, so they were not in danger of ambush, unless of course their targets crossed the mountains, which was unlikely. However, "unlikely" was not part of a ninja's vocabulary. There was always a chance. And Hyuuga Neji had never been one to take bets. Even so, his answer was reluctant.

"No, it would be safer to stop, I suppose. Camping near the mountain wouldn't be safe without reasonable cover, and both of us need to sleep tonight….." he trailed off, hair flopping in front of his eyes, obscuring them. Hinata began to nod in understanding, but realized that he probably couldn't see her.

"Yes, that is a good idea."

Their pace gradually slowed, and Hinata spotted a clearing in the rock that would both keep the brutal wind away and also keep them out of sight. As they came to rest, her leg muscles cried out in protest, sending a dull, throbbing pain up and down her thigh. Hinata hid her grimace, lightly rest one rest against her leg. She summoned a bit of chakra to her fingertips, tranfering it to her muscle. Relief soon followed, through only temporarily.

Neji called up a chakra fire again, a real one would send up smoke. They might as well let off fireworks and emergency flares to tell anyone within visible distance where they were. Shadows danced mockingly across the ground and rock, casting an unnatural glow over their belongings and faces. Hinata slipped off her knapsack and sat next to it, near the fire. With the sun set, the land was quickly cooling, and the wind howling overhead was doing nothing to improve this.

She retrieved a blanket from her pack, draping it around her shoulders. The fire was lulling her into a comfortable trance when the sudden presence of someone next to her made the girl squeak and nearly jump five feet into the air. Further examination revealed a rather amused Neji, smirking slightly and sitting next to her. Right next to her. Close. Dear god……

"Did I scare you, Hinata-sama?" His amused baritone reached her ears. Hinata squeaked indignantly again.

"O-of course not, you just sur-….surprised me. A little bit."

A quiet snicker. "Just a little bit?"

"Yes!" she said firmly, piqued. Was Neji _teasing_ her?

The firelight reflected in his fair eyes, glittering with laughter. "Well, if you're sure, then."

Hinata huffed and turned back to the fire, not dignifying him with a response. They lapsed into a comfortable silence, until…

"…..You're making fun of me, aren't you?"

Neji grinned lopsidedly, making the girl's heart flutter. "Why, yes, I suppose I am. How observant of you to point out."

She scowled mockingly, scrunching her small nose up at him and sticking out her tongue. The little voice that lived inside of Neji's mind snickered.

_She did not just do that. Hinata. Sticking out her tongue. Hinata. Hyuuga Hinata. Formerly shy, quiet, nice. Ha._

……_that was adorable._

He grinned again, reaching out to tug her nose. She sputtered and knocked his hand away, laughing until his deep chuckle joined in. Hinata smiled and drew her knees to her chest, circling them with her hands. "I like this. Being out here, with you, Neji-san. It' nice, being away from the main house."

Neji turned his head, studying her face. She was smiling softly, calmly, the firelight illuminating her features, pale skin glowing softly, raven hair shining. If angels existed, he thought, this is what they would look like.

_Dude. You know all that "opportune moment" shit everyone talks about? Whelp, I think this is it. Now or never, bud._

"Hinata." A soft whisper made the girl look up. Her eyes were immediately captured by his once more, emotions flowing so strongly through them, emotions Neji never imagined himself having. She opened her mouth to speak, no sound came out. His eyes were holding her like a net, longing, tenderness, desire…._love._

"Hinata….." The words came out in a rasping whisper, as he extended on hand, cupping her cheek, thumb softly stroking her cheekbone. Hinata slowly closer her eyes and leaned into his touch just so slightly, an inaudible sigh of air escaping her lips. Neji leaned closer, carefully, gradually, until he could feel her hot breath on his lips.

"Neji……" He caught her murmur, barely. Their noses brushed, he could see her every eyelash….

"We….we shouldn't….," Hinata breathed, keeping her eyes closed, inching her own hand over Neji's, her delicate one grasping his callused fingers.

"No," He said softly. "We shouldn't", before lowering his lips onto hers.

He moved his mouth to firmly cover hers, nothing like his kiss the previous night. Her lips were amazing soft, a velveteen smoothness that he relished, heart pumping furiously in his chest as Hinata slowly began to respond, moving her lips against his.

Hinata found within herself enough mind power to form coherent thoughts as Neji kissed her, vaguely wondering who had said that you see fireworks during your fist kiss. Well, whoever they were, they were lying, they should have something about the feelings. Her lips were of fire, and she pretty sure her whole face was as well, nerves synapses firing wherever he touched her.

She shyly kissed him back, unsure how to move. His sigh of contentment told her what was she was doing was right, as she brought her free hand up to grasp the front of his shirt.

Neji smirked against her mouth, undoing her hair tie, letting the silky locks twine around his fingers. He lightly traced Hinata's bottom lip with his tongue, pushing forward slowly when her lips parted slightly in surprise. He savored her taste, clean, clear, like cold spring water flavored with mint. Hinata moaned softly as he proceeded to probe her mouth, steadily, sensuously.

Regretfully, Neji pulled back slightly, leaving Hinata flushed and breathing rather heavily. He smiled and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, knuckles bruashing her cheek. If it was even possible, Hinata's face became redder, and she ducked her head slightly, bangs hanging in front of her eyes. All capabilities of speech seemed to have left her for the present.

_Wait……was that wrong? Should I be apologizing? If she felt pressured…I shouldn't have taken advantage of her like that…_The thoughts swirled in Neji's mind, accompanying by the sick feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach.

"H-…Hinata-sama…..Please, I shouldn't have, I apologi-"

"Don't," Hinata whispered, not lifting her head. "Don't apologize."

"It was my fault, I shouldn't have assumed, I shouldn't have taken advanta-"

"I said, don't." Neji stopped mid-sentence, not sure of how to respond.

"But really, I must…"

Hinata raised her head, still blushing, to meet Neji's eyes squarely, if nervously. Whe she spoke, there was a audible tremor, but her stutter had vanished.

"You…should not apologize, because….you have nothing to feel sorry for." She smiled softly at him, reaching forward to brush her lips against his lightly, a ghost of kiss. She promptly turned positively crimson and ducked her head again, firelight shining off her hair.

Neji's mind had short-circuited at her words, but a grin gradually worked its way over his features. The feeling of anxiety vanished; replaced with a tenderness and passion he didn't know he had in him. He reached out, arms wrapping Hinata to his chest, burying his face into her hair, inhaling deeply the scent of lavender.

Hinata squeaked when he pulled her into a strong embrace, but smiled as she wrapped her own hands around his waist, embracing him as well. When his grip loosened slightly, she tilted her head upwards to be met with another searing kiss that stole her breath away. Again.

When he released her once more, Hinata had gone red again, muttering embarrassedly under her breath. Neji smirked and decided he could definitely get used to this. But as much as he would like to continue "this", they _did _have to sleep. He wrestled his bedroll from the recesses of his pack and spread in out, taking Hinata down with him as he lay back. She shifted a bit in surprise against his chest, face still red, before sighing contentedly and settling with her hands lightly holding his shirt.

Neji waited until her breathing evened with sleep before allowing himself to drift off into uneasy slumber, already worried for what the next day would bring.

That was so cheesy, Velveeta would be put to shame. Ah well. Hope you guys liked it. Onto the apologizing.

oh my god. Guys, I am so so so sorry about the late update. (repents profusely) I have absolutely no excuse other than, well, life. Which decided to happen as soon as school started up again. Funny how it does that. Very sorry. Chapter updates will be coming much more regularly now, since I have the rest of the story laid out. (for a procrastinator like me, this is very good). Thank you so much for being so patient, guys.

And this is the first intimate scene I have ever written (as in ever ever ever), so while flames will be used to fuel my imaginary woodstove, any constructive criticism you might have would be appreciated more than you know. So don't forget to review. Thanks, and till next time!


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